Bassist Ravi Abcarian is one in a long series of jazz musicians produced by the award-winning Berkeley High School Jazz program, such as Michael Wolff, David Murray, Peter Apfelbaum, Benny Green, Craig Handy and, just ahead of Ravi, Dave Ellis and Joshua Redman.

Ravi had been playing guitar for about half his young life when the high school band director challenged him to swap the electric guitar for the acoustic bass. It was a good call: Ravi developed a love for his new instrument in parallel with his nascent interest in jazz.

Ravi studied with master bassist Herbie Lewis, and, after school was done for the day, he'd join the weekly jazz jam sessions at Yoshi's in Oakland, meeting and playing with the likes of Ed Kelly, Faye Carol and Smiley Lewis.

Ravi excels as a teacher: he's artistic director of the Richmond Jazz Collective, and is director of the Oaktown Jazz Workshop.

In addition to leading his own quintet, Ravi is also in demand as a sideman, and has appeared on recordings by, among others, Ben Stolorow, Terrence Brewer, and Mark Wright.

Pick

Artist

Album

Song

Label

# 1

Clifford Brown

The Definitive Clifford Brown

Daahoud

Verve/Blue Note

# 2

Thelonious Monk

It's Monk's Time

Stuffy Turky

Columbia

# 3

Blue Mitchell

Blue Soul

Minor Vamp

OJC

# 4

Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley

Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley

Save Your Love for Me

Capitol

# 5

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers

Ugetsu

One by One

Riverside

# 6

Miles Davis

Nefertiti

Fall

Columbia

# 7

Weather Report

Sportin' Life

Indiscretions

Columbia

# 8

J.J. Johnson

Heroes

Carolyn (In the Morning)

Verve

Book

Either a book of short stories, or else a very comprehensive world history